OPINION: The promise of magic

Apologies for such a dry column last week, 20 predictions for the Oscars needs a rapid type of writing. And it was worth it, with 12/20 of my predictions for Sunday’s show correct and 18/20 when factoring my detailed second choices. For categories which have five possible winners, I think a 60% success rate is pretty good. It’s quite nice to be egotistical this week.

But the biggest surprise of the night came when my pessimism on “The Brutalist” sweeping the show was flipped by my biggest dream for the night coming true. Five Oscars including Best Picture to Sean Baker’s “Anora,” four to Baker himself, the most Academy Awards won by anyone in a single night for the same movie. For Baker, who directed, edited, wrote and produced “Anora,” it’s a Cinderella story for one of indie filmmaking’s greatest triumphs.

Baker has been making movies about his certain subject matter across his whole career. His explorations into marginalized cultures, such as undocumented immigrants and sex workers prominently post-”Tangerine,” establish Baker as having an eye of empathy toward the private lives of those who we tend to dehumanize. To see him be acclaimed on the biggest stage possible is spectacular.

Minor spoilers for “Anora” ahead. The movie is scheduled to land on Hulu on March 17 and is available on digital stores now.

This year’s Best Picture winner is a story of a New York sex worker, Ani, who falls in love with a Russian billionaire’s dweeby but energetic son, Ivan. The two get married on a ketamine-infused trip to Vegas after Ivan explains how marrying Ani allows him to stay in the United States. Chaos ensues when Ivan’s parents find out, leading to a chase around New York to reunite Ani with her husband.

Ivan doesn’t mind Ani’s background. It’s how they met. Ani only met Ivan at her workplace because she had a hidden talent, being the only stripper who could speak Russian. Ivan, a wickedly skinny 21-year-old who hires Ani to be “exclusive” and talks about how much he hates his parents who fund his lifestyle, is spoiled, clearly.

But Ivan has an energy to how he talks and moves which is contagious, and he holds the promise to Ani of never having to demean herself again. No more hopping from guy to guy at her job pretending to be dumber than she is. No more arguments with shallow coworkers in a workplace built to objectify her. No more insults and fear from predatory men. And, with Ivan, the promise of a home which wants her to be happy.

“Anora” is a story about magic. Not in the fantasy sense with wizards and spells, but of the promise of happily ever after. To live in a fairy tale with unconventional princes and princesses. Of adventure alongside someone who adores you.

Despite “Anora” being the Best Picture least likely to watch comfortably with your parents since “American Beauty,” it’s still a story about love. But, by the time the second half rolls around after the ring is slipped on Ani’s finger, the promise of love is slowly chipped away.

Ivan’s parents send a squad of goons to split the couple, who offer the funniest dialogue of the year. When Ivan runs off, leaving Ani to humorously travel with the people threatening to break them up, Ani has only one hope. Ivan will fix everything. He must, right? They’re married; they’ve promised to spend their lives together.

All the while, as Ani travels with a mob of goons who can’t even park on the side of the road without a tow truck trying to haul away their vehicle, she just wants to find the promise of safety with her husband - to be told everything will be okay. With the influence of a family empire controlling their spoiled son, it’s not a guarantee.

As a part of Ani’s job, she has to squash away her personal beliefs and continuously objectify herself in order to serve. She hides away from her real name, Anora, because it’s probably a lot easier to be someone else. When the squad of goons try to stop her from storming after Ivan, they’re beat back by a screaming, thrashing woman who slips into a defensive side all-too-quickly. Almost like she’s had to do this multiple times before.

“Anora” ends with a scene which shouldn’t be spoiled, but shows Ani finally feeling the weight of this journey. It’s a moment where this loud-mouthed New Yorker has a moment to deal with the consequences. The goons didn’t care what happened to her. Ivan’s parents didn’t even want to speak to her. What Ani deals with, what Anora deals with, is only shown here.

If “Anora” begins with the promise of magic and ends with the presumed death of it, then what better representation of our world than it? In recent months, it’s been made easier to turn away from the people who deserve attention and empathy the most. The choices made for survival aren’t done with the expectation to be cherished; they’re made to live.

If there’s opportunity over the rainbow to find magic and change our lives, with the added bonus of being accepted as who we are, how could it even be possible to be hated for flying to it?